Translink: Restore weekend SkyTrain service to 3 minutes

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In the wake of growing transit ridership and growing transit need, a frequency reduction in the service that serves as the backbone of the entire Metro Vancouver transit system would be an irresponsible choice given the minimal savings and potentially large impact on ridership, ride quality and servicing ability.

Waits between trains on the SkyTrain Expo Line in Surrey and Millennium Line will increase from 6 to 8 during the weekends and potentially off-peak weekday periods as well, and from 8 to 10 during the late night. This is a big difference that will impact riders' abilities to catch connecting buses at SkyTrain stations - particularly in the late night hours - and get to their appointments on time.

With the savings so small (as low as 0.5% of the total annual savings proposed in a plan), why bother with such an impacting reduction of service?

TransLink should recognize the operational cost advantage of the SkyTrain and its technologies and commit to the SkyTrain off-peak frequencies that have been in place since 2002. Failing to do so may result in severe system-wide consequences in terms of transit ridership, mode-share and acceptability. The consequences may effectively offset the savings.

“Reducing the frequency of mid-day skytrain is silly. That’s when I do most of my riding and the trains are usually at least 3/4 full. Reducing the number of trains is going to make it feel like rush hour all day long.”-Sheba on The Buzzer blog

Consequences

- The minimal cost savings could be offset by a ridership decrease as a result of the less attractive service.- Passengers connecting to less frequent suburban busses may experience difficulty planning and meeting their transfers, leaving them with much longer waits at bus stops.- Businesses who depend on customers and patrons arriving by SkyTrain may lose money- Surrey customers will be restrained from a more competitive and affordable alternate transit option across the river in the wake of the opening of the tolled Port Mann Bridge this December- More crowded trains in addition to longer waits – less comfortable riding

Solutions

1. The goal: TransLink commits to no SkyTrain service cuts2. TransLink can opt to recoup the minimal savings through other means (the frequency reductions in the 2013 base plan make up less than 1% of the total proposed savings)3. An agreement is reached between TransLink and the municipality or the province for the allowance of funding to keep the SkyTrain system’s off-peak frequencies at bay